Buddhaghosa further identifies that these four clinging types are causally interconnected as follows:

1. self-doctrine clinging: first, one assumes that one has a permanent "self."

2. wrong-view clinging: then, one assumes that one is either somehow eternal or to be annihilated after this life.

3. resultant behavioral manifestations: 3a. rites-and-rituals clinging: if one assumes that one is eternal, then one clings to rituals to achieve self-purification. 3b. sense-pleasure clinging: if one assumes that one will completely disappear after this life, then one disregards the next world and clings to sense desires.

Thus, based on Buddhaghosa's analysis, clinging is more fundamentally an erroneous core belief (self-doctrine clinging) than a habitualized affective experience (sense-pleasure clinging).

SarathW wrote:Please answer my question based on the following statement:

clinging----------

Buddhaghosa further identifies that these four clinging types are causally interconnected as follows:

1. self-doctrine clinging: first, one assumes that one has a permanent "self."

2. wrong-view clinging: then, one assumes that one is either somehow eternal or to be annihilated after this life.

3. resultant behavioral manifestations: 3a. rites-and-rituals clinging: if one assumes that one is eternal, then one clings to rituals to achieve self-purification. 3b. sense-pleasure clinging: if one assumes that one will completely disappear after this life, then one disregards the next world and clings to sense desires.

Thus, based on Buddhaghosa's analysis, clinging is more fundamentally an erroneous core belief (self-doctrine clinging) than a habitualized affective experience (sense-pleasure clinging).

eternalism and annihilationism are both wrong views as they depend on the concept of some "thing" being eternal or annihilated. when the Buddha talked about rebirth he likened it to the wind element enabling a fire to go from rooftop to rooftop (imagine not knowing about oxygen...). the fires are the burnings of sensual desire.